The "Perfect Pigeon Pair": Is it really that perfect?

The term "pigeon pair" was new to me until recently. It apparently refers to a boy and a girl as either twins or as the only children in a family. And it's apparently the ideal situation, at least in the opinion of many.

Our first two children created a “pigeon pair.” We had Luke first, then 16 months later, Shulamith. While I was not familiar with this term at the time, I soon learned how “perfect” this arrangement was thought to be. “Oh, a boy and a girl! Excellent! Now you can be done.” It was as if we had done something incredible, brilliant even, by producing two children of different sexes.

But truly, all we did was have two babies. The first time around, I thought I was having a girl. Why did I think that? No idea. In those days, parents did not find out the gender of their baby until he or she was born. We had a boy. He was wonderful. Obviously. The second time, I assumed we would have another boy. Most people I knew with two children had either two boys or two girls, and well, by then I was familiar with having a boy, so that's what I expected.

I was wrong. We had a girl. She was wonderful. Obviously. That's when the comments began. I guess it makes sense that since there are a few experiences parents will miss if they have only girls or only boys, well-meaning folks will celebrate if you happen to have both. But I honestly can't think of all that many. In fact, the one that comes to mind is actually a blessing. If you have only girls, you will never have to attend a Cub Scout pack meeting or Pinewood Derby, both of which are the pure definition "headache." Trust me. I've been to dozens.

Regardless, what I don't understand is the assumption that “now you can be done.” It's as if couples should aim for the fewest number of children possible, as long as there is at least one boy and one girl. If you mange to achieve that with only two, you're a hero!

Not really. I loved both of those first two little babies dearly, but I knew I wasn't done, any more than I would have been had they both been boys. Or girls. I wanted several children, and gender had not a single thing to do with it. Did we ever surprise all those people when we went ahead and had three more wonderful sons after our “perfect pigeon pair.” Ha!

Thoughts?